<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Crash Course by JoyKatieWrites</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28740288">Crash Course</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoyKatieWrites/pseuds/JoyKatieWrites'>JoyKatieWrites</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Once Upon a Time (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU, F/F, Love Story, New York City, based on a prompt, dr emma, new romance - Freeform, tourist swanqueen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:33:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,841</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28740288</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoyKatieWrites/pseuds/JoyKatieWrites</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Strangers Emma and Regina happen upon each other on the streets of New York City and decide to play tourist together, getting to know each other and their city. AU.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Crash Course</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I apologise for sucking at writing/posting for the last 6 months. Life got away from me. But hopefully I'm back.</p>
<p>This story is based on a prompt I found online (written at the end) and was just something new that I wanted to write to clear my head for my existing works. I intend to get back on them. Let me know if it's any good.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Regina was never late. Ever. It was something she prided herself on. Something that she won inane school awards for, something that had been mentioned in references. It was something silly. But it was something she cared about.</p>
<p>Which is why, when she was still a mile away from work and was due to be running the 8:45am meeting that would begin in 10 minutes, she was panicking. It didn’t matter to her that the reason she was late was because she had picked up an extra shift on the suicide hotline she volunteered for and that she had been late leaving, staying on the line with a caller until the emergency services arrived, meaning she had to rush home, shower and change before work. Because she would be late. To a meeting she had set the time for, an important meeting with the international investors, a meeting she was running as new head of the department.</p>
<p>She cursed to herself, glancing at the time on her phone and she sped up. She would not have time to freshen up in her office, and so didn’t want to rush too much, not wanting to be unkempt in the meeting but she was torn. Be only slightly late but perspiring, or be fashionably late but ready to start the meeting straight away?</p>
<p>Regina was never late. She could be forgiven for rushing, she could put deodorant on in the lift, and she would be stood at the front of the room, not sat next to anyone who could be offended by slight body odour. It was more important to be on time, it was a meeting with her team, her subordinates, and a telephone conference and so the investors would not be there to see her in a dishevelled state.</p>
<p>It shouldn’t be a hard decision, but for someone as responsible and reliable as she was, it was causing panic to rise in her gut.</p>
<p>A loud horn pulled her out of her panic, and a whole new panic set in, when, as if in slow motion, she watched a car moving at speed towards her, only then noticing that the car was not driving on the sidewalk, and she instead was in the road having somehow walked into traffic while distracted in her internal dialogue.</p>
<p>The car was moving too fast to slow down in time, and it was as if she was frozen to the spot unable to jump out of the way when she felt her shoulder jar, falling backwards as she was pulled out of the way. She stumbled a few steps, unable to turn at the sudden movement to see what had pulled her out of the way from the car that had now driven off, honking his horn solidly in the seconds that he was passing her.</p>
<p>The force that had pulled her backwards was a sudden motion after a moment of inaction; causing her to crumple on the ground, her fall somewhat cushioned as the person she had fallen against had landed just underneath her. It was her body that had been protected though, and pain exploded behind her eyeballs as her head bounced off the tarmac of the road. She lay immobile for a matter of seconds, before she felt fingers brush up her arm, and the body beside her shifted, Regina then seeing the person who had saved her life for the first time, leaning over her where she lay. She blinked up at the blonde woman whose features were still a little blurry, as she moved out more fully from under her.</p>
<p>“Are you okay ma’am?” Regina cringed at the title, and she blinked twice trying to clear her vision. She could see other people beginning to crowd around them and balked, embarrassed that she had fallen, wanting to just get up and go to work. She tried to sit up, but her saviour pressed onto her shoulder, frowning down at her. “Try not to move, you hit your head, we need to get you to hospital to clear your c-spine.” Regina shook her head, noticing the raised brow from the beautiful stranger who was staring at her intently.</p>
<p>“No, I’m okay, the pain has gone, I can move, I need to get to work.” The blonde was now fully sat up, and she leaned forward so her face was close to the brunettes. Regina blinked, holding her breath, her proximity making her dizzy. Pain radiated again as instead of leaning closer and kissing her, which for a second she had foolishly assumed she would do, she shone a light into her eyes. She seemed happy with the response of her pupils to the light, according to the little smile on her face, but she still looked concerned when she propped herself up on her elbows.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry ma’am, I take full responsibility if anything happens, you do not need to concern yourself. Like I said, I have to get to work so if you can kindly help me up I’ll be on my way and you…” She stopped, everything coming together all at once as she noticed her wearing scrubs with the hospital insignia on the pocket. “Oh…” The young woman seemed to sense her realisation as she stuck out her hand with a smile, ready to help the brunette to her feet.</p>
<p>“Dr Emma Swan, at your service.” Regina blushed, responding with her own name before gripping her hand tightly as she helped her up, wobbling unsteadily on her feet. Emma seemed to notice her unease and wrapped an arm around her waist, if only to stop her from falling again. “Well Regina, I will not force you to seek medical attention of course, but I would at least like to get you a coffee. You suffered a shock and I think a little sugar boost wouldn’t be a bad thing.”</p>
<p>Regina was torn. By now she really was late for work. Someone would have taken over the meeting sure, but she couldn’t just skip out. On the other hand, her saviour was a doctor. She knew what she was talking about, and she had to admit she was feeling a little lightheaded. She had skipped breakfast and she normally had had at least one coffee by that time. When she noticed Emma watching her quizzically, the bystanders who had been watching starting to disperse, she didn’t verbalise her thinking, she just nodded, stepping over the curb she had managed to avoid hitting, still being supported by the doctor.</p>
<p>They took a few steps together before discovering it was not the easiest way to walk through the busy morning foot traffic and Emma moved her arm from around Regina’s waist, linking their elbows instead. Regina was beginning to feel dizzy from the movement and so was grateful when they ducked into Madame Bonté café, one she rarely picked up her morning coffee from when she had enough time before work. Emma was still guiding her into a seat, a bench next to the window, and Regina could see by the expression on Emma’s face that she seemed to be concerned about her as her hand tilted her chin up to face her. “Have you eaten this morning Regina?” She shook her head embarrassed that she was acting like a ditzy girl from a tragic rom-com, wanting to pull herself together and go to work. If she could see the conflict in her eyes she did not comment, instead smiling kindly before walking to join the queue.</p>
<p>The brunette decided to call her assistant, explaining the situation in the hope of not being reported to the directors for not attending the investor meeting. The call was brief, but when she explained that she had almost been run down by a car and that she had bumped her head, her assistant had told her that she would mark her calendar as unavailable for the day so that she could seek medical assistance and make sure she was okay before she returned the following day for the meeting with the trustees she was lucky enough to have been invited to, as the new head of the fundraising department of the charity she worked for.</p>
<p>She was just ending the call when she heard Emma call her name, just loud enough over the quiet hum of the other café patrons and she looked up to see her smiling at her, pointing at the display of pastries behind the glass. Regina nodded, shrugging in a way she hoped suggested she pick something for her, and that she would be happy with whatever the blonde chose. She turned her back to her as she spoke to the barista, and Regina found herself watching her as she laughed and joked with her. More than once she found her eyes drifting down, admiring the view of the doctor in her scrubs, distracted in her thoughts to the point she did not notice that she had walked back over to her. She blushed at the smirk on her face, knowing she had been caught checking her out and she hung her head. She looked up as Emma sat down opposite her, pushing a plate with three muffins over to her. “I didn’t know what you liked so I got a few and you can choose. Or you can have them all if you wish.” Regina giggled, twirling the plate to get the bran muffin over the blueberry and the chocolate chip. “I ordered you a tea, sometimes it’s the best thing after you’ve had a shock. If you want a coffee or something else I’ll change it but sometimes nothing can beat a good cup of tea.” The brunette took a bite of her muffin as the barista approached, placing two cups of tea on the table.</p>
<p>“No this is great Emma, thank you.” She took the blueberry muffin from the plate for herself, nibbling at the top before placing it down, watching the woman she’d met less than an hour ago. The blonde was intrigued, though she had only known her for a matter of minutes, she knew she wanted to know more about her. Sensing the blonde’s gaze on her, Regina glanced up, noting her curious expression, and decided to bite the bullet, moving her hand so it covered the other, next to their. She ignored the buzz of static she felt when she first touched her properly, but kept her hand on it when she didn’t move her hand away.</p>
<p>“How are you feeling?” The blonde looked apprehensive, and it caused Regina to feel guilty that she had caused her to not only take up her time, but that she was causing her to worry.</p>
<p>“I feel okay. I really appreciate all your help Emma, more than you know, but I have taken up too much of your time, and I’m sure the hospital needs you more than I do right now.” Emma was smiling, shaking her head in mirth as if Regina was a child who’d said something silly.</p>
<p>“I actually worked last night, I was leaving the hospital when I saw you.” Regina opened her mouth to comment but the doctor continued on, turning her hand over so she could squeeze her hand lightly, before picking up the mug of tea. “I have a few days off, I have plenty of time to sleep, so don’t go there.” She raised her brow and she blushed, surprised at how Emma seemed to know what she was thinking. “Even if I don’t have a duty of care when I am not on shift, I am not just going to leave you wondering, potentially at risk, since you do not want to go to the hospital.” She paused when Regina began to scowl, taking the comment as being accusatory, and she put down the mug to stroke her thumb across the back of her hand. “Plus… I think you’re cute. So sue me for wanting to spend time with you.”</p>
<p>Regina pouted, twisting her wrist so that she could take the proffered hand. She was comfortable, and offered the blonde a shy smile as Emma spoke. “So… now you have the day off… what do you want to do?” Regina furrowed her brow in thought.</p>
<p>“I don’t know… Usually if I have time off I just go and volunteer, but I was just there last night so… What would you usually spend your free time doing?” She didn’t know if she imagined the sparkle in the blonde’s eye at her admission but it warmed her anyway, as she tilted her head, waiting for the other to answer.</p>
<p>“Well I have only lived in New York for a few years and I spend 90% of my time at the hospital so whenever I get more than one day off I like to do touristy things. You know, walk the Brooklyn Bridge, visit the Rockefeller Centre, museums, parks, all the landmarks like Lady Liberty, you know?” Regina laughed at her comment. She had done the same when she first moved to New York, being a tourist, almost a decade ago, but it had been almost that long since, and she knew things had changed.</p>
<p>“What was the next thing on your list then doctor? Maybe I could be your tour guide?” Her answering smile was bright and it made Regina avert her gaze. She was never normally so upfront with people personally, or anyone outside of her subordinates and the boardroom, and she didn’t want to pressure the young doctor into feeling obligated to spend time with her, but her grin told her that it was no obligation.</p>
<p>“I’ve still not seen the Empire State Building so I was going to check that out, and then at some point I wanted to see Times Square in the evening but I wasn’t sure whether to do it on one day or across a few, maybe throw in some museums later on in the week I don’t know.”</p>
<p>“The Empire State Building has some great exhibits on at the moment, and Times Square does look beautiful at night. If you’re not going to sleep after your night shift, we might as well make the most of the day and you can rest up tomorrow.” Emma almost seemed to vibrate in her excitement to visit one of the most famous tourist destinations in America. She stood, extending her hand to her date with a wink.</p>
<p>“Let’s go! I want to get moving before I sit down and stay down.” Regina laughed as she stood, taking the hand, before having to speed up a little to keep up with Emma as she strode out of the café. They walked until they were a little further down the street from where the almost accident had happened, to hail a cab and when it arrived she opened the door for Regina, climbing in after her as they told the driver where to go. Regina knew it was only supposed to be about a 15 minute journey and so just watched out the window for the first few minutes, the pair sat in awkward silence.</p>
<p>“Can I ask… what happened this morning? Why were you…?” Regina jumped as the question came out of nowhere, turning to face the woman who was watching her with an inquisitive expression as she reached across the seat to take her hand. For a second, she was unsure how to answer but the nonchalance and the way she looked down at their joint hands instead of watching her waiting for an answer somehow made it clear to her that she wasn’t being rude, that she was just making conversation. The brunette took a few more moments to try and work out how to answer.</p>
<p>“I hate being late. For anything. And I was late for work, and a very important meeting. So I was just… distracted and in a rush. I didn’t see the car until you seemed to see it.” She twisted so she was sat facing the other woman properly. “I don’t think I have even thanked you.” She sounded horrified at the prospect and glanced up at her to make sure she was looking. “I am pretty sure you saved my life this morning. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t been there. So thank you, truly. I owe you.”</p>
<p>Emma seemed to hesitate at her comment, her brow knotting in thought and she was silent while Regina tried to work out what she had said wrong. She sat in silence, watching the other woman, wringing her hands the longer the silence went on. “Emma…” The doctor blinked as if she had been stuck in her head, the frown dropping from her face as she regarded her date’s troubled expression. “Are you okay?”</p>
<p>“I hope you don’t feel indebted to spend time with me Regina, just because of what happened this morning? I would like to spend some time with you and get to know you, but I don’t want you to feel you have to accompany because of some misplaced obligation.” Regina raised a brow at her downtrodden appearance and huffed.</p>
<p>“What, are you fishing for compliments now? You want me to say how you’re cute and clearly intelligent and that you’re strong and… I appreciate what you did Emma and if anything, I feel guilty because I feel like I am forcing you to spend time with me just to make sure I don’t get hit by a car for real this time or something.” She could see from her frown that she was still not fully believing her and she elbowed her lightly, trying to ease the tension in the cab. “You saw what happened when I was so focused on work. I don’t know when I last took a day off willingly, when I’ve not been so sick I couldn’t move. Then a beautiful doctor comes along and for some reason seems to want to spend time with me, and suddenly, I cannot wait to take a day off. Does that answer your question?” The blond opened her mouth to answer when they were interrupted by the cab driver, informing them they had arrived. Emma had requested he take them to a spot near the building to avoid hitting traffic and so when they got out and paid the driver, they had about a five minute walk to their actual destination.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>For being new to the area and not often a tourist, Emma seemed to know her way around, as Regina didn’t even need to direct her for the blonde to link their fingers and head in the right direction. It was passing 9:30 when the pair arrived at the building and Regina cursed silently, that they had just missed off peak times. They could see the queues already beginning to build when they entered the building, but one look at the excitement on Emma’s face made Regina decide to just enjoy the time with her, away from work. The queue seemed to be moving slowly, as there was only one member of staff currently working at the ticket desk, but when Emma wrapped her arm around Regina’s shoulder she leaned into the taller woman , the two of them talking quietly about their favourite things as the queue moved on.</p>
<p>When they finally been able to purchase some tickets, separately given they had literally only met that morning, they joined another line to get past security and after another ten minutes of waiting, they were at the elevators, ready to begin their touristy date. As they were waiting they looked at the exhibits that were open, trying to plan their morning and they decided to do them first, take in the view and then see if they could stop for lunch without waiting in further queues. The main exhibitions were on the second floor and so they were only in the elevator momentarily until they reached their initial destination.</p>
<p>There was a walkthrough path on the floor, and the pair spent time wandering around looking at pictures and information as a little timeline, from what the site looked like in the 1920s and through the construction process. They both stopped to take a picture next to the statues of the workers, Regina also capturing pictures of her favourite parts of the exhibits. By the time they had reached the section of the exhibits that was the opening day, they were hand in hand and Regina could feel Emma’s thumb stroking her knuckles. They stood for a few moments watching the newsboy announcing the opening of the building, and read around the information of the elevators that was included as part of the exhibit, Emma seeming to enjoy the technical side of it. Regina; not all that interested in engineering, leaned her head against the other’s shoulder as she took it all in, but she was happy to engage with the other side of the room, the interactive section that gave her information about sustainability and energy efficiency.</p>
<p>The next few sections were not as interesting to the pair and they walked through, paying attention to what was there, but not necessarily engaging. That was until they reached the Kong section of the floor, where, for some reason, the pair decided to take some selfies with the monster in the background and then some of Regina perching on the model hand. Regina tried to clamber down from the hands, rolling her eyes as Emma watched her balance precariously with a smirk, catching her as she jumped from her perch, giggling as she fell into Emma’s arms, unsurprised at the strength of them. They ended up pressed against each other for a few seconds, Emma seeming to look her over to make sure she was okay. “How is your head? Are you feeling okay?” She raised her hand to gently prod the back of Regina’s head where she had hit it, watching her reactions. There was no bleeding, and she only winced without too much of a reaction so she assumed it was not bothering her too much. Regina was watching her as she held onto her, trying to ignore the tingling sensation she felt whenever she touched her, and she stepped back from her grip when she seemed happy with her assessment.</p>
<p>“Do you maybe want to finish looking at these exhibits and head up? I’m really looking forward to seeing New York from that perspective and I’m feeling snacky so lunch is on me when we’re done.” She didn’t catch the look that Emma gave her as she had turned to move on but she felt Emma’s fingers link in with hers when they walked to the next section of the exhibits. They passed through the last few exhibits quicker than the first, taking a few pictures before they were at the end of them and before long they were following the path they needed to, to reach the first observatory on the 86<sup>th</sup> floor. They had decided to visit just the 86<sup>th</sup> floor observatory while they were queuing for tickets, the views likely not going to be much different on the newer observatory, years of working constantly and thrifty spending for both of them meant they were both happy and able to splash out for the premium tickets for them to enjoy their visit and have the ultimate tourist experience.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>By the time they reached their floor they were hand in hand again, a position Regina didn’t want to admit she was very comfortable with. They walked around the observation deck close together, both pointing out things that they could see. Emma pointed out Rockefeller Plaza Centre, Central Park and the Brooklyn Bridge, attractions that she had visited previously, and Regina showed her the Chrysler Building and the One World Trade Centre and they both pointed out the Statue of Liberty at the same time, making both of them laugh. They carried on walking slowly until they reached the side where they could see Times Square. There weren’t many people who on the 86<sup>th</sup> floor observatory with them, and so they were comfortable to stand and look out over one specific area of the view. Emma stood behind Regina, wrapping an arm around her waist as they looked out at Times Square, both sighing in content.  “You know there will be at least a few hours between us finishing up here, and it getting dark, so is there anything else you want to do on your big touristy day off?” She heard Emma hum behind her as she considered her options and she remained silent until she answered.</p>
<p>“Well my friends did tell me I should check out the Museum of Natural History, I was going to visit it in a few weeks when I next have a few days off but if you have any interest maybe we can go there for a few hours?”</p>
<p>“That sounds like a wonderful idea. I have been there a few years ago but I know they update the exhibits frequently so I’d love to see what’s new. I love history, it would be fun to check it out.” She felt the blonde chuckle behind her and she forced herself to not lean closer into the blonde’s warmth.</p>
<p>“New history…?” Emma laughed loudly, and this time Regina did lean into the feeling, and after an awkward second when neither of them moved nor spoke, Emma wrapped her arms around her properly in a hug from behind her. They remained in their embrace as they overlooked Central Park until they were jolted apart by a small child that ran into their legs, being chased by a frazzled looking adult. By the time the adult had reached them, the kid had run off, and the adult had muttered a quick apology before continuing chasing the little girl as she ran in a circle around the room.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was Regina’s stomach that decided they had spent enough time on the observation floor and that it was time for them to go and eat. Having barely touched her muffin, and having in the last few hours done more walking around than she usually would in her office, she was hungry. They had to walk further around the observation floor to get to the exit but once again, they were holding hands and Regina had to admit, despite her hunger, her worry about work and the headache that was beginning to develop, she felt content.</p>
<p>“What do you feel like eating? We could go to the grill, or get some Mexican food, or if you’re not that hungry there are some lighter options like salad or sushi if you prefer?” Regina was rambling, a trait she didn’t often display in her usual working life. She rarely dated, and although she was confident in front of people when she was working, it was a different story altogether on the rare occasion that she dated, and with so much of her focus on work, she didn’t have much of an opportunity to practice.</p>
<p>“Why don’t we see what has the shortest queues and go with that? I’d eat anything and I’m excited to get to the museum and see what they’re exhibiting.” Regina smiled at the genuine enthusiasm and nodded in acceptance of the contribution, squeezing the hand that was still gripping hers. When they approached the restaurant area of the building they both gravitated to the grill area, the line for the Mexican restaurant almost twice as long. They were seated in a booth next to the wall and they were passed menus as they settled. The pair were quiet while they looked over the menus and didn’t speak much before their order was taken. She decided not to have any alcohol, not wanting to affect her concentration or balance any more than it seemed to be as her dizziness got worse. She was hungry, enough to want to eat a proper meal, but her limited experience in the dating world both as a teen and an adult meant that she was still sometimes hesitant about dating etiquette. Was she supposed to order a salad? Was she supposed to order cheap in case the doctor was paying?  Was she supposed to order what she wanted so Emma felt comfortable doing so, in case she was paying?</p>
<p>She looked over at the blonde as she perused her own menu and watched her for a few moments in her distraction. She wasn’t even sure what they were on was a date. If anything it was two acquaintances that may become friends, exploring the town together in their free time. So really she didn’t need to modify her behaviour to fit in with what might be considered date appropriate. She didn’t realise she was staring until the others voice pulled her out of her thoughts, causing her to blush as she teased her about her blatant ogling. “Did you decide what you wanted to order or were you too distracted?” Regina giggled as she winked at her, and glanced back down at the menu, spotting grilled chicken, reasonably healthy and not too expensive.</p>
<p>“The chicken looks good, have you decided what you want?” Emma closed her menu in front of her and clasped her hands atop it, regarding her date with a smile, as the waitress arrived. Emma ordered for both of them, ordering Regina’s chicken and the burger for herself with a shared plate of sweet potato fries. She only began to speak again once the first waitress had left, and the second waitress who had taken their drink order had delivered their soda and walked away.</p>
<p>“I want to get to know you Regina. Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself?” The question, as innocent as it was, caused Regina’s stomach to twist uncomfortably.</p>
<p>“Well… I am 27 years old, I work as a project manager for a charity, I have…” She stopped talking as Emma’s hand covered her own stopping her from her rambling.</p>
<p>“No… I want to know about <em>you..</em>.” Regina blushed at the tone of her voice and picked up her drink to calm her sudden nerves.</p>
<p>“Well what do you want to know?” She turned in her seat slightly so she was facing the doctor, resolving to get to know her and she knew she couldn’t ask the blonde a load of questions without answering any of her own.</p>
<p>“Well let’s see… Not usual first date questions, lets mix it up a bit… How many languages do you speak?” Regina furrowed her brow in concentration, responding after a moment of consideration.</p>
<p>“Only two fluently, but I can say some random words in three others and I’m trying to learn Finnish for fun.” She blushed at the impressed look on her face, anxiety swirling in her gut, worried it would sound like she was showing off. “I just mean… It helps with my job sometimes, we never know where our next donors might come from, so I like to keep learning…” She hesitated, still unsure of herself. “It’s the only thing I’m good at by any means.” She spoke quietly for the last part, looking past the doctor at the painting on the wall. She was confused at herself, and was hesitant to look back at her, until, for what may have been the 10<sup>th</sup> time that day, she squeezed her hand and she instantly calmed. She decided to push all the awkwardness down and just talk to her. “What about you, were you always into science? Did you always want to pursue medicine?”</p>
<p>Emma got a faraway look in her eye, Regina watching the other woman with interest as her shoulders tensed. “I guess I always showed an affinity for the sciences… maybe I just studied really hard because… well when I was younger I watched doctors try and fail to save my twin brother when he got sick. I watched my parents almost kill themselves trying to make sure he got the best treatments and when he died… I watched it actually kill my dad when he couldn’t get over losing his little boy.” Emma was no longer looking at her, tears misting her eyes. This time it was her turn to comfort Emma so she shifted closer to her, taking the larger hand in both of hers. She didn’t say anything, giving her the time to decide whether or not to speak more about the matter. They sat in silence for longer than Regina felt comfortable, but when she finally spoke again it was almost with reverence. “Leo is the reason I’m a doctor. He is the reason that I specialise in paediatric neurosurgery. He is the reason that I am in the second stage of a clinical trial to find a new, less toxic way to treat certain types of tumour.” The brunette was stunned, and didn’t realise that her jaw had dropped until she caught the look on her face and she quickly schooled her features.</p>
<p>“Wow Emma, I don’t know what to say… I admire your dedication, I think the work you are doing is commendable. I’m… so sorry…” They didn’t speak again until the waitress had bought their food, and Regina remained sat next to her, her arm and leg pressed up against her in some attempted form of comfort. Regina picked at her food, mostly watching her date out of the corner of her eye, while Emma pulled herself together. The conversation had got very intense very quickly, but it didn’t seem unnatural, since that morning she had stopped her from getting hit by a car.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, that was a lot to share, but something about you… I feel comfortable opening up to you. I’m sorry if it was too much for a first date. If you want to leave then I’d understand.” Regina was frowning at her defeated tone and decided it was time to change the subject, not wanting their day to end then. She took a few bites of her chicken, wondering if her nausea was from hunger or from the head injury she was pretty sure she had sustained earlier. When the feeling started to ebb she put her cutlery down and turned to face Emma again.</p>
<p>“I know you don’t have much time off work usually but do you have any hobbies? What do you like to do for fun?” This time it was Emma that seemed to blush, as if the answer to the brunette’s question was embarrassing for her to say. She elbowed the blonde jokingly and grinned up at her. “I promise I won’t laugh.”</p>
<p>“Well… I play the guitar and I like to write my own songs and music. I’ve recorded a few songs and put them online, but it’s just a hobby… it’s not something I’d ever try and pursue as a career.” The change of tone caused Regina to glance at her, confused. She could tell from the look on her face that there was more to her reply than she was letting on, but from the sadness in her eyes she assumed it was related to the information she had told her about her family.</p>
<p>“Well that sounds wonderful, I’d love to hear you play sometime.” She didn’t look at her that time, picking up some of the fries that were between their plates. “Ok this question could make and break any future relationship that we have.” She spoke quietly, and she could see her eyes widen when she looked over at her. Her face was blank as she spoke seriously. “Are you a cat person or a dog person?” The relief on her face was evident, and she laughed loudly, interrupting the somehow quiet ambiance of the restaurant. She narrowed her eyes at her, as if trying to work out what the right answer was as she stared at her, one eyebrow raised.</p>
<p>“Cats are… cute… but I have had dogs my whole life up until I left home. I’d have one now if I wasn’t working so much.” Regina was smiling but Emma wasn’t looking, instead pulling her phone out of her pocket to show Regina some pictures she had on her phone. “This is Nala…” she swiped from a picture of a yellow lab to a chocolate lab, glancing up at her with a proud smile. “…and this is Koda. I had Nala when I was young… my mom thought it was a good idea to get her after my brother and my father passed, and she was right…” Emma kept staring at the picture as she spoke, happy memories of the dog preventing her from getting too upset again. “After Nala we got Koda… He was more for my mom I think, because she had loved watching Nala grow up, and I was heading to college and volunteering and starting to build my resume up, so I wanted my mom to have someone to dote on while I was away.” She flicked through a few more pictures before pushing her phone back into her pocket. They both hadn’t finished their meals and so they spent some time in silence, Emma finishing her burger before beginning to pick at the fries. “Did I pass the test? Do we get to keep talking after this?” The look in her eyes could almost be described as hopeful and Regina couldn’t help but laugh loudly, despite the tense air surrounding their most recent sharing.</p>
<p>“Dog was the right answer to the question. I always wanted one but my mom has a severe allergy and then now I live alone, I can’t keep a dog in my apartment alone for so long in a day.” Emma nodded, reaching over to take one of the fries from her plate, ignoring the plate between them that still had some left. Regina huffed and smacked her hand away as she reached again, giggling as the blonde pouted. Knowing that she was not going to even finish the chicken she had on her plate, the brunette span it so the side with the fries was facing her date and she chuckled as she continued to eat them. Emma ordered another drink as Regina continued to pick at her food, but she gave up eating just after it had been delivered, and rested her head on her shoulder with her eyes closed, listening to her to talk about a surgery she had recently watched as she finished her drink. When the doctor didn’t get much of a response from her, she stopped talking and cupped her cheek, and when she opened her eyes she was frowning.</p>
<p>“Are you okay sweetheart?” She looked troubled, as if the pain she was feeling was written on her face for her to see. “Do you feel okay? Do we need to take you to the hospital?” Regina shook her head, not wanting their date to end, believing her headache was not bad enough at that stage to require medical intervention.</p>
<p>“I’m okay. I’m not a big eater and I’m a little tired but I’m ready, if you want to head to the museum?” The doctor didn’t look convinced but she had only known her for a handful of hours and so didn’t feel she was in a position to tell her what to do.</p>
<p>“If you’re sure, but please let me know if you start to feel worse… I don’t want to force you into getting checked out, but I also don’t want to be responsible if you have something going on that required immediate intervention and I’m dragging you all around New York City.” Regina nodded, reaching for Emma’s hand again.</p>
<p>“I’m okay I swear… I just want to show you what NYC has to offer. If it gets worse, I’ll tell you and you can decide the best way to proceed okay?” Emma sighed but nodded in acknowledgement of her terms. She had requested the check while her eyes were closed and they paid and left a tip before walking out of the restaurant, this time linked at the elbows.</p>
<p>“I just want to look in the shop quickly if that’s okay. I always try and pick up a little something when I’m playing tourist for the day.” Regina chuckled at her childish excitement and nodded, walking alongside her as they followed the directions to the shop. She too wanted to go to the shop, she wouldn’t tell Emma the reason, but she wanted to pick something up that would be a memento of that day, of their date, if it wasn’t on the cards for them to have a second date. They walked into the shop together, but then separated to different ends of the shop as they both saw things they wanted to look at. They were only in the shop for about ten minutes, Regina not finding anything that called out to her, so she went outside and stood at the entrance, waiting for Emma to finish her browsing.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When they stepped outside of the building it was raining and neither of them were wearing weather appropriate gear so they stood under the shelter of the entrance while they waited for their uber. The wait was relatively short, and when they were comfortably sat in the car, on the way to the Museum of Natural History, Emma turned to Regina with a grin. “I got you something!” Regina opened her mouth to argue but the mischievous look on her face made her hold it back. Emma reached into the bag from the gift shop and handed her the small metal item. Regina opened her palm to look at it, not sure whether to laugh or yell at the Empire State Pocket Watch she had handed her. “So you don’t end up running late again.” She said it seriously, but she looked so pleased with herself that she couldn’t help but laugh, opening the watch to see its design. She elbowed the taller woman but leaned in to kiss her cheek in thanks. The move seemed to surprise the young doctor but the red flush on her cheeks showed that she wasn’t annoyed, and the pair gazed at each other for a few seconds before Emma leaned in to kiss her properly. It was quick but it left the brunette blinking and holding back from leaning in to initiate a further kiss. They were in the back of an uber, near their next destination, and as much as it didn’t feel that way to both of them, they had known each other for less than 6 hours. Their hands found each other instead, and the now familiar feeling of Emma’s strong hand in hers warmed her. They sat in silence for the remaining minutes of their trip but it was comfortable instead of awkward and their holding hands was all the communication they needed.</p>
<p>Although it was early afternoon, the museum didn’t seem to be that busy, and so the pair were able to go in and buy their tickets and pick up a map so they knew where they were going in a matter of minutes. They quickly decided what areas they wanted to see first and made their way to the Cullman Hall of the universe. They spent a good half an hour in the hall, visiting all four zones, both of them enthralled in what they were seeing. Emma was interested to see the Hall of Human Origins which they visited next, and when it was Regina’s turn to choose they made their way to the Hayden Planetarium, stopping by the Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth. Regina was starting to lag, feeling tired and with a worsening headache and so they took a break in the Hayden Big Bang Theatre and sat through the presentation, Regina leaning against her date again. She could hear Emma muttering to her that she really should go to the hospital and she nodded, telling her she would go first thing tomorrow. She was stubborn, she knew that she would be at work before 8am the next day to make up for her absence today, and she also knew that she liked her and that she wanted to see her again and so based on the fact that they were both always busy, she didn’t know when they would next see each other, she wasn’t going to prematurely end their day of tourism.</p>
<p>When she was too dizzy to stand at the end of the presentation, Emma left her seated and went down to the food court, picking up a bottle of water and some crackers. When Emma returned she was also carrying paracetemol and handed her two with a straw in the bottle of water. “Regina, you do understand I am going against every instinct I have not to call an ambulance for you now? I took an oath and everything…” Regina nodded, nibbling on a cracker.</p>
<p>“My body doesn’t react well to not getting much sleep, and I’d usually have had a lot more caffeine by this point in the day, so I’m sure if we get a coffee when we head out, then I’ll be fine.” Emma rolled her eyes but shrugged, taking Regina’s hand to help her up. They walked arm in arm out of the theatre and decided to skip the third floor, making their way to the fossil halls on the fourth floor. As they walked they made temporary plans to visit again to check out all the exhibits they would miss on that trip. By the time they had finished viewing the fossil rooms it was starting to get dark outside, and Regina’s stomach was starting to rumble from hunger. The paracetemol she had taken along with two bottles of water had helped her headache and when they stepped out of the building they were met with smells of the food trucks that were near. Regina gripped Emma’s hand, dragging her towards the hotdog stall on the other side of the road, ordering two dogs before asking Emma if she wanted anything. She ordered her own food and a soda, frowning when Regina pushed her wallet away so she could pay. She ate one of the dogs as they walked over to the coffee stall down the street and ordered the largest coffee they could make, ignoring Emma as she informed her the amount of caffeine the coffee would have was more than she should intake in a day.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They found a bench to sit on, the rain having long since stopped and although it was beginning to get dark, it was warm enough that they were comfortable to just sit and enjoy the ambience of the city before they needed to go to Times Square. “When are you next at work?” Regina was leaning into her, now they were sat her height advantage made it so she was looking up at the blonde and when she looked down at her Emma couldn’t help but smile.</p>
<p>“Well I had today off unlike some people.” The doctor winked down at the brunette ignoring the roll of her eyes as she answered her question. “I have three more days off, but I’m working nights again for a few more weeks, and sometimes I try and sleep before a shift so I have two days after this one to explore and just do things. I’m not sure what I might do. Maybe when you have some time tomorrow we can talk about when our schedules mean we could meet up again. There is still more of New York I’ve yet to see and if you didn’t feel like being a tourist we can always explore New York’s hidden hotspots that the tourists don’t know about.” Regina laughed, she was glad that Emma had been the one to make the decision that they would make future plans together, even without asking if she wanted that, because she knew with how she was feeling she would have only said something stupid and ruined what could turn into a very promising relationship. Instead she kept it brief, still looking up at Emma, hoping she could convey what she was feeling with just a look and a brief comment.</p>
<p>“I would love that.” She pulled out her phone to check the time, noticing a text from her assistant checking she was okay. She responded quickly before standing, once again taking her hand to pull her up. “Come on. It’s time to go see Times Square, I have a couple of places in mind, depending on what you feel like doing. You order the uber, I’m just going to run to CVS to pick up a few things, and I’ll be back before the car gets here.” She could see the questions she wanted to ask before she asked them and she stood on her tiptoes to press a kiss to the blonde’s cheek. “I’m okay I promise. Do you need anything?” Emma shook her head and waved as she walked away, waiting a minute or so before she ordered the uber. It was getting on in the evening and so she knew they would be waiting long enough for their car to arrive for Regina to get what she needed and return.</p>
<p>Regina returned a minute before the car arrived, picking at a bag of candy, a little plastic bag hanging from her wrist. “I got you a bottle of water and some nutter butters in case you get snacky later.” Emma grinned at the brunette, despite how she had been starting to get concerned by the older woman’s absence, she was surprised that she had remembered they were her favourite candy from the brief mention of it she’d given when they were up in the tower.</p>
<p>She was stopped from replying by the Uber pulling up alongside them and Regina climbed in first, the doctor following close behind, pulling the shorter woman closer to her as she sat behind the driver, making Regina sit in the middle seat so Emma could wrap her long arm around her. “Did you pick up something for your headache?” She didn’t question it, already aware after knowing her for a day, that she was very intuitive, which made sense given her profession, and nodded, popping two pills that were slightly stronger than the paracetemol she had taken a few hours ago. They continued to talk for the car ride, evening traffic meaning it took a little longer than it was supposed to, but they arrived in Times Square, as close as the driver was willing to get, a little after 8pm. Emma, usually either working by that time of day, or heading home after a long shift, had not seen Times Square lit up for more than just a glance since she moved there and so when she stepped out of the car, she span around, wanting to see it from every direction. Regina giggled as she took Emma’s hand, pulling the taller woman along beside her as she determinedly made her way towards where she wanted to be. When they were in a place slightly less crowded by people, near a food cart selling churros and donuts, she paused, pulling out her phone.</p>
<p>“So we have a few options, it’s up to you what you want to do.” She scrolled through her phone screen so Emma could see what she had pulled up. “There are more things to do during the day, but now we could go to the Top of the Rock…” She glanced up at her with a shrug, “… to be honest it’s not much different than what we saw earlier.” She scrolled again. “If you aren’t too tired we could always go to Bowlmor, it is bowling which some people hate but could be fun.” She scrolled again, this time showing pictures of a well-lit, comfortable bar area. “Or we could have a couple of drinks at the Haven Rooftop bar, seeing as you’re off tomorrow as well.” Regina looked up at Emma fully to try and establish what she was thinking, and was troubled at the uneasy look on Emma’s face. “Or, if you want to just head back now you’ve seen Times Square…” Her tone was hesitant and she could see the doctors face change almost immediately.</p>
<p>“No sweetheart, that’s not what I’m worried about.” She turned so they were toe to toe, cupping Regina’s face with her hand. “I’m not telling you what to do, but I am concerned with the idea of you drinking with a possible head injury, especially if you haven’t eaten that much today. We usually suggest people abstain from alcohol and stay with someone after a knock on the head and…” Regina raised her brow at the comment and Emma’s eyes widened as she realised exactly what she had said, and she began to backtrack quickly. “No… that’s not what I meant, I am not trying to insinuate or suggest anything, I was just…” She stopped her rambling when Regina began to laugh and for a second she almost looked offended that Regina was laughing at the young woman.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry Doctor, your honour is intact, I am not calling you out for it…” She shrugged, almost bashful. “Whether we drink or not, I was going to ask you… Like, as a doctor, maybe you should come over tonight? I can take you out for breakfast at my favourite little café near my place?” She knew she was being presumptuous and she knew she had known her for less than 12 hours but she knew what she felt and what she wanted. From the look on her face, Emma was thinking the same.</p>
<p>“If you continue to display symptoms and refuse to seek treatment, then I will take you up on that offer and I will sleep on your sofa and keep an eye on you, and yes, you can buy me pancakes as a thank you.” She smirked and she nodded, grinning in acceptance of the doctor’s terms.</p>
<p>“Great, so what do you want to do? Observe, drink or play?” Regina knew the way they needed to head for each activity and they were all in different directions so she needed Emma to make a decision.</p>
<p>“Well, I don’t think it would be the best idea for either of us, you with your head and… well the fact I like to work sober, and if I’m going to be keeping an eye on you I don’t think I should be impaired.” This time Regina rolled her eyes, linking their arms as they started walking towards the bowling alley and arcade. It was actually where she had been on the first date she’d been on when she moved back to New York and, as boring as the date had been, it had been down to the company, not the location, so she was interested to see if the change in company made the difference.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They arrived soon after, it not being so busy that they would have to wait, just busy enough that the noise would make sure there were no awkward silences between them. They decided to play just one game of bowling, Regina more excited to play the arcade games and Emma was interested in seeing who would win a game of Billiards. The game of bowling was fun, more than once Emma sneaking up behind Regina to scare her just before her bowl. She had caught her the third time, grabbing her wrist as soon as she had bowled, tickling her ribs before pulling her in for a quick kiss. It had been enough to distract her from her next bowl, her final one, leading to Emma winning the game. Regina informed her she had only won because she cheated, giggling at the faux-exasperated look on her face, before she pointed out there were more than 30 points between them, and with the way she had been playing, she wouldn’t have scored that amount on her final bowl anyway. Regina pretended to gasp, leaning into her date as she tucked her arm around Regina’s shoulder, the pair both happy to move into the arcade area of the building.</p>
<p>Regina was drawn straight to Mario Kart, leaving Emma stood looking around at the different options. She saw the basketball game which she knew she would end up challenging Regina to and made her way over to her as she started the game, Emma watching her more than the screen on her first go. When she celebrated her first win she held out a hand for a high five, the young woman responding enthusiastically. She moved aside and added more money to the machine, pressing the two player option where they battled for a few rounds, Regina coming out on top. She glanced at her after her third win, checking that she wasn’t aggravating her but her answering smile could almost be called proud and so she melted into the doctors embrace when she wrapped her arms around her. They collected the tickets, moving on to the next game they wanted to play, and competed in that game, this time Regina celebrating Emma’s win. Regina asked her what she wanted to try and Emma dragged her over to the basketball game, where they both had to throw as many baskets in a set time and collect as many points as they could. Emma put the money in for the first game, Regina missing more baskets than she made. She was pouting when at the end of the game the blonde was more than 100 points ahead of her, and she could see that Emma was enjoying herself, so she pulled more money out of her pocket, ready to play again.</p>
<p>“Best of three?” The older woman nodded eagerly, getting ready to play the game again, and the doctor started shooting immediately as the balls fell to her. When the buzzer rang out, the score was a little closer, Emma only 77 points ahead of Regina. She was having fun, and didn’t want it to end, and so when Emma reached for change in her own pocket, Regina raised her brow questioningly.</p>
<p>“Why don’t we make it best of five?” She nodded, mimicking the blonde’s prepared stance while she put in the money, waiting for the balls to drop. She was quicker this time, and when, halfway through, she was a few points ahead of Emma she whooped excitedly, throwing faster. Emma smiled at the warmth in her chest at Regina’s excitement and aimed slightly outside of the ring, pretending to groan when it missed. She did it a few more times, slowing down so her lead kept increasing, grumbling when the buzzer rang and she was 20 points ahead of the younger woman. Never usually one to throw a game, the smile on her face made the fact she cheated herself worth it. It was Regina who paid for the fourth game then, both of them ready to see who would make the 4<sup>th</sup> win. Their shots were on par throughout, Regina seemingly increasing in skill, or the practice improving her shot. The win was hers at that game, the difference only a few points. “Ok, final game… The loser buys milkshakes before we leave?” Emma had given her a chance in the previous two rounds, and it had been worth it but she wanted to at least play properly, figuring four games was enough for her to get into the swing of it.</p>
<p>Regina had nodded at Emma’s suggestion and shook out her shoulders, determined to win her last game, having already seen the drinks menu when they were bowling, she wanted the chocolate peanut butter milkshake that she had seen. When the game began, Regina began to throw balls with precision and accuracy that Emma had not seen before, making baskets every time. She was throwing twice for every one of Emma’s and she could see her confused at how good she suddenly was at the game, and it was putting the doctor off her game even more. The end result moments later was a score difference of over 200 points, Regina scoring a final three pointer as the buzzer rang out. Emma turned to face her, her jaw dropping as she began to jump up and down in happiness. She laughed loudly at the confused look, a look of faux innocence on her face. “Oh, did I forget to tell you I played varsity basketball in high school and college?” Emma rolled her eyes but Regina could tell Emma was not serious, instead pulling her into her side as they walked over to the bar, joining the queue that was a few people deep.</p>
<p>Their conversation flowed easily, the pair deciding to play a couple of games of billiards before they ended their day, the pair both having been awake longer than they wanted to be, and also in each other’s company for over 12 solid hours. However when the queue seemed to stop moving, the barman seeming to disappear for more than a few minutes, when the pair decided they were done waiting, the way Emma was running her fingers up and down her back as they waited meaning Regina got frustrated and pulled Emma towards the exit. “We’ll do milkshakes and billiards another night, I think it’s time we get you some sleep.” Regina could see that Emma looked dead on her feet and she felt bad that she was at least partly the reason she had been kept up longer than she would have otherwise, so she kept their arms linked as she ordered their uber, and when they clambered into the car, Emma leaned against Regina, her head resting on her shoulder, her eyes closing as she talked to her about their day.</p>
<p>When they arrived at her apartment, Emma was waking up, and so it wasn’t that difficult for them to climb the three flights of stairs to get to her door. It didn’t take Regina long to pull out some blankets and a cushion from the airing cupboard, offering the bed to Emma while she took the sofa. She had laughed tiredly, informing her she was too much of a gentleman to allow her to give up her bed, and she had taken the bedding, and the XL hoodie that she offered her, stretching out on the sofa as she pottered about. Emma had offered to help but Regina had refused, pointing out where the bathroom was, where she kept the coffee and the TV remote if she got bored. She had told her that if at any point in the night she needed her, or she started to feel worse, then she needed to tell her. It had been less than a day and the doctor seemed genuinely concerned about the fact she had been suffering symptoms of a head injury all day and had been trying to ignore them, every doctor instinct she had wanting to drive her to the hospital herself. They had only been in her apartment for less than an hour when she leaned over the back of the sofa where Emma was laying, kissing her and informing the other woman that she was going to go to bed, and to once again treat the place as if it were her home. She had sat up when she straightened, pulling her back down so she could return the kiss, smirking at her almost embarrassed giggle. “Ok Emma, sleep well, tomorrow we’ll go get breakfast and then… Well…” She shrugged and blushed, waving at her before she headed to her bedroom, pushing the door too behind her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>One thing that Regina would not admit if questioned was that she liked to end her days by writing in her journal, wanting a record of her goals, dreams, achievements and memories she wanted to keep note of. She spent the next half an hour writing a detailed record of her day, including some initial thoughts about her first date with Emma. She put her pen down as her headache started to build again, the painkillers she had taken earlier in the evening beginning to wear off. She smiled to herself as she thought more about the man who was currently taking up residence on her sofa, their time spent together, her smile, the way her hand felt in hers, settling down under the duvet, falling asleep to thoughts of her.</p>
<p>It was a scream that woke her up, she was pulled from the memory of how she met the younger woman as it echoed around her room. She gasped, her hand to her chest as she panted, realising the noise had come from herself. She discovered it had been loud enough for others to hear as her door swung open, the man she’d just watched get hit by the car in her place, standing in her doorway. She couldn’t seem to calm her breathing as the dream began to fade in her mind, staring at the doctor as she moved closer to her, wanting to help her regulate her breathing before it got any worse. She sat on the edge of her bed, leaving her hand outstretched, waiting for her to make the move.</p>
<p>“Are you okay Regina?” She was silent, aside from her heavy breathing, but she nodded, sliding her hand to cover hers, allowing Emma’s strong grip to ground her.</p>
<p>“I am so sorry… I had a bad dream. I didn’t mean to wake you, I know you’re tired…” She made a concerted effort to control her breaths, enough to tell the blonde she could go back to sleep and she closed her eyes when she stood up and left, only to open them again when her door creaked open, the younger woman holding a glass of water. She moved back to the same place she had sat in, handing her the glass, and she took a small drink, smiling gratefully at the doctor. She reached towards her to tuck her hair behind her ear, the gesture inexplicably bringing her comfort. Regina took another drink, now calmer, and she shifted down from where she had sat up, getting comfortable again, Emma informing her that she would stay with her until she fell back asleep. She was stroking her hair as her breathing returned to normal, and she closed her eyes again, letting Emma’s presence lull her to sleep. She didn’t want Emma to miss any more sleep than she already had and so she feigned falling asleep until she felt Emma stand up, the door clicking closed behind her as she left.</p>
<p>Her throat was starting to burn, but in her exhaustion she was too tired to sit up and open her eyes so she reached out blindly for the glass that Emma had left on her nightstand, trying to take a drink. She must have been more tired than she thought, as she tilted the glass more than she should have, almost half its contents tipping over her, and inhaled, coughing as she swallowed the water.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The pain in her head suddenly increased tenfold, and she tried to open her eyes, confused and alarmed as she struggled to open them. She felt a hand on her arm again, but it didn’t feel like the strong reassuring grip of the woman she’d spent the last day with. She was suddenly assaulted by a chemical smell, like disinfectant, and she could hear beeps, getting louder and louder as the ache in her head increased. She tried to lift her hand to touch where it was hurting but could not seem to do so, something twinging when she twisted her wrist. She could hear someone saying her name but it didn’t sound like Emma, the thought that she was not there causing a pain to blossom in her chest.</p>
<p>“Miss Mills… can you hear me?” She tried to answer the voice but her throat hurt and she couldn’t make it happen. “Can you try and open your eyes for me Miss Mills?” She groaned as the light infiltrated her vision, barely opening her eyes before she slammed them closed.</p>
<p>“It hurts…” She could barely speak, just loud enough that whoever was near her could hear and respond.</p>
<p>“You had an intubation tube up until a few minutes ago Miss Mills, when we noticed that you were breathing on your own, sometimes it can cause some inflammation. Can you open your eyes? If you can open your eyes I can ask the doctor if we can get you some water or ice chips.” The voice was kind and Regina, scared and confused, wanted to do what was asked of her. She tried to open her eyes again, fighting for them to stay open until they focused, the light in the room becoming less bright as her eyes adjusted and she could see the white ceiling and when she turned her head she could see that she was attached to machines that were making the beeping noise. She turned towards the voice that was murmuring to her, and saw a nurse who was talking to her.</p>
<p>“Whe… Emma?”</p>
<p>“Emma?” The nurse looked confused and a sudden wave of nausea spread through Regina’s stomach. “What happ…d? Why am… here?” She couldn’t speak without pain and so wasn’t able to fully ask what she wanted to, but from the look on the nurse’s face, she seemed to understand what was being asked.</p>
<p>“Are you in any pain? Is there anyone we can call for you?” Her questions were met with a blank look, so she answered her questions. “You were brought in yesterday after a road traffic accident.” She hesitated, looking around to see if the doctor was anywhere near, not sure whether she had the authority to say exactly what had gone on. “You were in an accident involving a car. According to bystanders you were pulled out of the way of a vehicle by an individual, but you both sustained head injuries and you’ve been here, unconscious, ever since.” Regina shook her head, her memories of the previous day fresh in her mind.</p>
<p>“No… you’re wrong. I saw… she… we…” She couldn’t form a sentence, confused and scared and she began to struggle to breathe again. The nurse looked concerned and bustled around taking notes and trying to get the young woman to calm down.</p>
<p>“Regina? Can I call you Regina? I need you to focus on my voice, look at me, focus on my words okay?” The brunette did as she was told, the hand that didn’t have the IV in pressing on her chest. “Can you name five things around you that you can see? What are four things you can touch…?” She began naming the things the nurse asked of her, taking each one slowly, feeling her chest begin to loosen, her breathing ease until she finally mentioned the one thing she could taste, causing the nurse to raise her eyebrow when she said blood. The nurse had paged the doctor when her patient had woken, and he arrived just after she had fully calmed down.</p>
<p>“Good evening Miss Mills, I’m guessing you have some questions about what’s going on?” She nodded, grasping the cup of water the nurse handed her with a grateful smile after getting permission from the doctor. She took some slow sips, looking back at the doctor when her throat felt slightly better.</p>
<p>“Aside from hitting my head, did I injure anything else?” The doctor looked up from flicking through her notes and shook his head, not quite understanding her question.</p>
<p>“We’ve been monitoring you since you came in, and we couldn’t find anything that needs urgent attention, we will want to give you an MRI but there are no broken bones, you can probably go in a day or two if we don’t find any issues on your scan.” Regina closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to piece everything together.</p>
<p>“Where is the woman I came in with?” She opened her eyes and fixed the doctor with a steely gaze, resolving to find her and ask what is going on.</p>
<p>“I’m afraid for data protection and confidentiality we cannot tell you where she is.” Regina raised her brow, anxious and frustrated.</p>
<p>“That woman saved my life. Please, I just want to thank her…” The doctor sighed, and Regina caught him and the nurse sharing a look.</p>
<p>“If you promise to go in a wheelchair, you follow any instructions the nurse gives you and you leave when they ask then I suppose seeing her for a few minutes won’t hurt.” Regina nodded but she didn’t thank the doctor, her head swimming with all the new information she had been given, trying to identify what from her memories was real and what wasn’t. She thought she knew, but she didn’t want to accept it.</p>
<p>“Fine, whatever, I just need to see her. To say thank you. I need to…” She didn’t finish her sentence, instead she crossed her arms as if she was trying to hold herself together, waiting for the nurse to bring in her wheelchair. She was silent the whole time she was pushed towards the woman who had saved her life, anxiety swirling in her gut. She could tell the reaction of the staff told her more than their words had, she knew that she was not going to be going into a situation where everything was fine and they would fall into each other’s arms. She took a deep breath as they turned into the room Emma was in and she sobbed as she saw the woman who had saved her unconscious, attached to many machines looking small and frail.</p>
<p>“Wait… what is going on? Why is she…?” Regina turned to look at her nurse, noticing another nurse in the room was glaring at her.</p>
<p>“Dr Swan…” Regina heard the other nurse huff as she closed the file and left the room, and when she glanced up at the nurse, she saw she was frowning. She continued speaking after the angry nurse had left. “Doctor Swan is one of our people here. She works in the neurosurgery department, she’s always working on trials, fundraising… she’s a big part of this hospital and it has just affected people that this has happened to her.</p>
<p>“Does she blame me? I didn’t… I don’t know what happened, I am pretty sure I dreamed the whole thing…” She paused, looking over at the man in the bed. “I’m pretty sure that I fell and hit my head before I saw her face, before she told me her name, before any of what I thought happened, actually happened. What does that mean?” The nurse looked confused and a little worried, but didn’t comment on what had been said. “Maybe I imagined everything, and maybe I am just focusing on feelings from a dream but… I feel something, I know I do.” The nurse sighed, pushing Regina’s wheelchair closer to the bed, sitting on the chair in the corner.</p>
<p>“We’re not really supposed to do this, but it was concerning to the doctor that a small bump on the head caused you to be unconscious for so long, when nothing popped up on the initial scan. He expected to see a bleed or something, like here with Dr Swan, he had some intracranial bleeding which had to be corrected during surgery and at the moment we’re just waiting to see if there is any long lasting effects from the bleed or from the surgery.” Regina gasped, looking from the woman over to the nurse.</p>
<p>“You mean… She might not wake up? Or if she does, there might be long lasting effects?” The nurse nodded somberly, reaching over to place her hand on top of Regina’s.</p>
<p>“It could be that she wakes up, soon, and that there are no issues, but we have to be prepared that that might not be the case.”</p>
<p>“Have you called her mom? Would she even want her here after everything that happened with Leo? I’m sure she would if she’s sick, she’s her mom.”</p>
<p>The nurse didn’t reply and so Regina forced herself to look away from the frail woman in the bed to glance back at the nurse. She was looking at her with a strange look which made Regina uncomfortable.</p>
<p>“How do you know about that? Who are you to Emma? How do you know her?” Regina’s jaw dropped at the acknowledgement that what she thought, what she had dreamed, was correct.</p>
<p>“I swear, as far as I was aware, I met Emma for the first time when he saved me from being hit by a car, and then we spent the day together, and she told me about her life… You are the ones who told me that never happened? Can a head injury explain that?” The nurse raised a brow as if to make it clear just how dumb that question was.</p>
<p>“I don’t think I’m in a position to answer that Miss Mills but maybe your MRI will shed some light on what is going on. I think it’s time to return to your room, maybe it can be arranged for you to return at another time, but I cannot promise anything…” Regina opened her mouth to argue but the look on the nurse’s face told her it was not a good idea. Instead she nodded, looking at Emma one more time before she was turned in her wheelchair, leaving the room.</p>
<p>She felt her chest tighten the further away she moved from the man she had become so close to in such a short amount of time, and the feeling only worsened as she was left alone in her room, the nurse advising she had to leave to check on other patients, but that she would return, telling Regina she should avoid being on her feet for too long, with them not sure the extent of a possible head injury.</p>
<p>Alone for the first time since she woke up, Regina decided to investigate. She had been sat or laid down for a long time and so stood, wanting to stretch her legs. She knew if she had been taken to hospital by ambulance, given that she was currently wearing a hospital robe, meant her belongings would likely be stored somewhere. She knew she had to find her phone, she knew that they had taken pictures on their date and she knew finding them would show that it hadn’t all been a dream.</p>
<p>She found all of her belongings in the cabinet next to her bed, the first place she looked where she expected everything to be. Her phone battery was low, but not low enough that she couldn’t look through the gallery. She was shocked to find that the last picture on it was of a dog she had seen the week before, and she could feel her heart break a little as she realised that it was most likely she had imagined the whole thing. She felt a shiver run through her at the realisation that none of it had been real, the thought causing a pounding in her head, and so she looked through her clothes for the jacket she had been wearing at the time of the accident. It was heavier than she expected, and so she dug through the pockets of the jacket, her fingers closing around a smooth metal object.</p>
<p>The pocket watch she pulled out of her pocket was as surprising to Regina as it had been to see Emma unconscious. She obviously had a head injury, and so was possibly confusing a dream about dating a doctor with real life, though for the life of her she could not remember having ever actually gone to the Empire State Building, and the watch was never an item she would have picked out for herself. She was beyond disorientated. She was cold, her head hurt, and everything was falling apart around her. She just wanted to curl up and sleep. She moved towards the bed, lethargic, deciding to rest like the nurse had advised.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Miss Mills…”</p>
<p>“Miss Mills…”</p>
<p>“Miss Mills can you hear me?”</p>
<p>“What? I’m tired, can’t you just let me sleep?” She shifted into a more comfortable position before she remembered what had happened, the gift she had discovered among her clothes which had confused her. The nurse was adamant the date couldn’t have happened, so how did she have the watch, and how did she know so much about Emma’s life, if they had really never met before. She opened her eyes, just then realising she was in bed, not knowing how she got there. “Did I faint or something? I know you said I shouldn’t really stand but I needed to just move my legs a little…” She stopped talking when she realised she wasn’t getting a reply, and glanced up at the woman beside her bed. A different nurse than the one she had been dealing with previously was stood over her, shining a light in her eyes. She seemed confused at the comments.</p>
<p>“Miss Mills, how are you feeling? Do you have any pain anywhere?” Regina shrugged her off, just wanting to go back to sleep but she needed to know about the younger woman.</p>
<p>“Please just answer my questions. How is Emma? Did she wake up yet? Can I see her?” The nurse frowned, looking over at the machines that were monitoring her patient.</p>
<p>“Who is Emma? Are you feeling okay? Do you remember what happened? Is there someone we can call for you?” </p>
<p>“No, listen, I swear I’ve always answered these questions, I’ve done all this before. The other nurse, the redhead, she let me go and sit with her. Can we just skip all this and let me go and see Emma? Dr Swan, come on, she works here!” The nurse was looking concerned as she turned to the other woman in the room that Regina had not seen, asking her to page the doctor.</p>
<p>“We’re not aware of any Emma, Miss Mills. We do not have any doctors here by that name. Was she in the accident with you?”</p>
<p>“Yes, she was the one who saved me… You guys told me she hit her head when she pulled me out of the way of the car… She must work here, the other nurse knew her.”</p>
<p>“Miss Mills… I’m not quite sure what you mean. You’re here because you were hit by a car… I’m sorry to say this so bluntly but you’ve been unconscious for three days. There was no one with you when you had the accident, you were found alone in a side street after a hit and run.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>The End</strong>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Initial Prompt - A love story that starts and ends in 24 hours </p>
<p>Authors Note - If something doesn’t make sense, assume it is there for a reason. It makes sense at the end. (I think? If you have any questions as to how, I’m sure I can answer them). I have actually been to the Empire State Building but I was 7 (almost two decades ago) and so I don’t remember much, and what I do remember has likely changed. I did though try and do some research to make it kinda legit. Title from Gabby, crash course meaning something that happens over a quick period of time (can you have a crash course in love?) and then also… you know there was almost a crash soooo…</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>